The present invention relates to fire fighting apparatuses. More specifically, illustrative embodiments of the invention relate to waterways mounted on aerial ladders for delivering fire fighting fluids to extinguish fires.
Fire fighters often use aerial ladder assemblies while fighting fires. An aerial ladder assembly is typically mounted on a frame of a fire fighting apparatus (e.g., a frame of a fire truck) for angular raising and lowering movements between a generally horizontal storage position on the frame and a raised position in which the ladder assembly extends upwardly at an angle from the frame. The ladder assembly is comprised of a plurality of ladder sections which are movably coupled to one another. The ladder assembly can be extended and retracted by extending and retracting the ladder sections.
Fire departments use aerial ladder assemblies to carry out a variety of fire fighting activities. For example, aerial ladder assemblies may be used to rescue people trapped on the upper floors of burning buildings. Fire fighters may also use an aerial ladder assembly in various ways to ventilate a building. For instance, fire fighters may use the aerial ladder assembly to climb onto a building roof to cut ventilation openings through the roof.
An aerial ladder assembly may also be used as a support structure for supporting and positioning a waterway. A waterway is a mechanism which may be used to transmit a fire fighting fluid to the location of a fire and which may be operable to direct a stream of a pressurized fire fighting fluid onto, for example, a burning building to knockdown or extinguish a fire. The waterway is in fluid communication with a source of a fire fighting fluid (e.g., water supplied from a fire hydrant, foams for chemical or electrical fires, etc.) and is operable to convey the fire fighting fluid to a water outlet structure (e.g., a monitor and nozzle assembly, a monitor alone, or a nozzle alone) at the terminal end of the waterway. The nozzle is operable to help pressurized and/or shape the stream of water emitted by the water outlet structure. The monitor is vertically and horizontally adjustable to aim the stream of water. The water outlet structure of the waterway may be operated to emit a continuous stream of fire fighting fluid. The angle and/or orientation of the water outlet structure may be adjusted to aim the fluid stream.
The water outlet structure may be located in a range of positions along the length of an extended ladder assembly. For example, the water outlet structure may be positioned at the tip or terminal end of the top or fly ladder section of a ladder assembly or may be mounted at an intermediate position of the ladder assembly. Positioning the water outlet structure at the tip of the top ladder section maximizes the reach of the fluid stream. Positioning the water outlet structure of the waterway at an intermediate location on the ladder assembly provides the ladder assembly with a xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d aerial tip which may be important in instances in which the ladder assembly is used to carry out rescue operations and/or ventilation operations.
It is known to provide an aerial ladder assembly with a positionable monitor and nozzle assembly. A positionable monitor and nozzle assembly is an assembly that can be repositioned along the length of the ladder assembly. A positionable monitor and nozzle assembly can be positioned at the terminal end of the ladder assembly or at an intermediate location on the ladder assembly. Currently available waterways with positionable monitor and nozzle assemblies require a fire fighter to walk or climb to the location of the monitor and nozzle assembly and manually connect the assembly to the desired ladder section so that the nozzle of the monitor and nozzle assembly is in the desired position when the ladder assembly is extended. Climbing a ladder assembly to reposition the monitor and nozzle assembly is inconvenient, time consuming and exposes the fire fighter to a risk of injury.
The present invention may be embodied in an aerial type fire fighting apparatus that includes a frame rollingly supported by a plurality of wheels for enabling the apparatus to be transported to a location of a fire and an extendible and retractable ladder assembly comprising at least two ladder sections including a top ladder section. The ladder sections are movably mounted to one another such that in each pair of adjacent ladder sections an upper one of the pair can be extended and retracted relative to a lower one of the pair to thereby affect extension and retraction of the ladder assembly. The ladder assembly is movably mounted for raising and lowering movements between a generally horizontal stored position on the frame and a raised position wherein the ladder assembly extends upwardly at an angle from the frame. A power-operated ladder raising and lowering mechanism is operatively connected to the ladder assembly. The ladder raising and lowering mechanism is constructed and arranged to move the ladder assembly under power between the generally horizontal stored position thereof and the raised position thereof. A power-operated ladder extending and retracting mechanism is operatively connected to the ladder assembly. The ladder extending and retracting mechanism is constructed and arranged to extend and retract the ladder sections under power to thereby affect extension and retraction of the ladder assembly. The fire fighting apparatus further includes a waterway comprising a water outlet support member coupled to the ladder assembly, a water outlet structure supported on the water outlet support member, and a fluid inlet connection. The fluid inlet connection is configured to be coupled to a source of a fire fighting fluid, such as a fire hydrant or a storage tank in a separate pump truck or in the vehicle itself. The fluid inlet connection is in fluid communication with the water outlet structure. The water outlet structure is constructed and arranged to direct pressurized fire fighting fluid therefrom when the fluid inlet connection is fluidly connected to a supply of pressurized fire fighting fluid. A lock member is movable between (a) a first position in which the lock member couples the water outlet support member, the water outlet support member and the top ladder section to one another such that the water outlet support member and the water outlet structure move with the top ladder section as the top ladder section is extended and retracted relative to its adjacent ladder section, and (b) a second position in which the water outlet support member is disconnected from the top ladder section to enable the water outlet support member and the water outlet structure to remain substantially stationary with respect to the ladder section adjacent the top ladder section as the top ladder section is extended and retracted relative to its adjacent ladder section. The fire fighting apparatus also includes a remotely controlled actuator mechanism having a manually operable control mounted on the frame at a location remote from the lock member. The actuator mechanism is operatively connected to the lock member and is constructed and arranged to move the lock member between the first and second positions thereof responsive to remote manual operation of the manually operable control.